Jet Set Restaurant Reading, Pennsylvania Menus!: Come to the Largest Mardi Gras Party in Town! This Thursday @ Jet Set Restaurant. 118 South 9th St. Reading For Info: 215-650-3587 --------------------- Beads and Masks Are the Necessary Requirements For Mardi Gras What would your experience at Mardi Gras be without traditional colorful beads? Bead-dazzled with custom-made Beads. Online, you can find everything you want to either stand out or blend, which ever suits your fancy. Men, women, accessorize! Accessorize! Accessorize! It's not only fun to participate in New Orlean's most popular event of the year by merely being there, but it's a whole different story when you go prepared with Masks and Beads. If you didn't know Beads, Masks and other amazing products have played an important role at this holiday since its beginning. History tells us that for over 150 years, New Orleans has been considered an interesting and unique tourist town. It's main attraction is this holiday , an evening that is celebrated in the month of February (sometimes March). Krewe float riders have kept up a tradition that began in the 1870's: tossing assorted trinkets into the enthusiastic throng. Since the early 1970's the bead tradition has evolved; not only do the float riders throw them to engage the crowd, but women receive bead necklaces in exchange for a generous peek at their breast. There is a huge variety of colors and types of beads to choose from. Be enticed with Handstrung beads, Throw beads by color, Throw beads by length, Throw beads by diameter and Throw bead mixes. No one goes to the parades without colorful beads. Moreover, it is absolutely impossible to have too many beads for this colorful occasion. Be a part of this powerful tradition. It's bead-dazzling! Parades and festivities just wouldn't be the same without the masks. As part of New Orlean's winter social season, these colorful masks are worn just for fun. Join in the activities dressed up as clown, a princess, a man (if you are a woman) or a woman if you are a man and hiding your face behind a Venetian type mask. Don't hold back! Fat Tuesday is a day to go all out; dancing and parading through the streets, indulging in food, drinks and high spirits. If you thought that Masks and beads were only used on Fat Tuesday, you were mistaken. There are several dozen Carnivals filling the calendar between Twelfth Night (Jan. 6) and Mardi Gras. Prepare yourself by joining the New Orleans fun during wearing Toomey's Masks and Beads for the Bal Masque of the Twelfth Night Revelers. The ride of the Phunny Phorty Phellows along St. Charles Avenue is something no one should miss. Don't miss Carnival weekend. It's the pinnacle of New Orleans. Join the Krewes in this 4-day celebration wearing your Mardi Gras Masks...and don't forget your Mardi Gras beads! You can find glittering Mardi Gras masks in the traditional colors: purple, green and gold. Allow yourself to take pleasure participating in Mardi Gras festivities 'mask-araded' for the occasion. Give yourself up to Venus and Bacchus using a Mardi Gras mask. Feel free to express your covert spirit behind an incredible Mardi Gras mask. Choose from the finest selection of Mardi Gras Masks including: Headdress Masks, Italian Venetian, a variety of Masks on a Stick, Novelty Masks, Sequin Masks and Rider and Half Masks...to name a few. Bead-dazzled and Mask-araded for Mardi Gras! It's absolutely the only way! Ronnie Tanner is a contributing writer at Toomey's Mardi Gras. He writes about Mardi Gras Masks and other industry specific topics.